On the basis of a structural analysis of radial gate (i.e. Tainter gate), the current paper focuses on weight minimization according to the location of the arms on a radial gate. In spite of its economical significance, there are hardly any previous studies on the optimum design of radial gate. Accordingly, the present study identifies the optimum position of the support point for a radial gate that guarantees the minimum weight satisfying the strength constraint conditions. This study also identifies the optimum position for 2 or 3 radial arms with a convex cylindrical skin plate relative to a given radius of the skin plate curvature, pivot point, water depth, ice pressure, etc. These optimum designs are then compared with previously constructed radial gates. Local genetic and hybrid-type genetic algorithms are used as the optimum tools to reduce the computing time and enhance the accuracy. The results indicate that the weights of the optimized radial gates are appreciably lower than those of previously constructed gates.